The mayors have connected with each other and found a foreign investor who will construct smaller retirement homes with up to 70 beds in Pivka, Loška Dolina, Železniki, Žiri and Komenda. However, the project still has to be approved by the state and the mayors argue that the case has been dragging on for an unreasonably long time.
8,000 Slovenes are currently waiting for a free bed in one of the around 100 elderly care homes in Slovenia. The Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, said last year that it would not build new care homes, but only award concessions. But the ministry is clearly too slow in doing that as well. "It's unacceptable for our residents to go seek institutional care in Croatia, where the care homes have available places, while ours sadly don't," said Janez Komidar, the Mayor of the Municipality of Loška Dolina.
The five mayors from the Gorenjska region and Slovenia's interior connected with each other and have, together with a French investor, created a group of small retirement homes, which could become operational by the year 2020. At the moment, it all depends on how quick the state will react. "We, the municipalities which applied for the tender for concessions, had only four months to put together an outline plan, award the real property rights and present an investment project, and the state has now been assessing our application for six months. We're calling on the state to make up its mind as soon as possible," said Janez Žakelj, the Mayor of the Municipality of Žiri.
Jože Ramovš from the Anton Trstenjak Institute confirms that when it comes to elderly care, Slovenia is around 25 years behind Europe: "The fact that the state awards concessions but doesn't financially take care of the whole system for long-term care is an anachronism. We're the only ones," Ramovš was critical. The Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, replied that the procedure for awarding the concessions was ongoing and would be completed in the second half of the year. In January it awarded concessions for 224 beds across the country. The remaining 676 will have to wait.